Study: Bet On Races, For Your Health

Recent research has determined that wagering on horse racing might be good for your health.

Findings published last month in JAMA Psychiatry have concluded that particular types of leisure activities, including wagering on horse racing, can help stave off the onset of dementia.

In speaking with the South China Morning Post, one of the researchers, Chinese University of Hong Kong Assistant Professor Dr Allen Lee Ting-chun, said that, “The most significant finding of this study is that engagement in intellectual activities in late life might be useful in delaying or preventing the onset of symptoms of dementia.”

The study, which was conducted from 2005 to 2012, focused in on 15,582 Hongkongers that were aged 65 or older and were free of dementia for a median period of five years (statistical analysis was then conducted from 2015 to 1016).

The analysis revealed that the individuals that remained free from dementia in the follow-up stages had taken part in more types of leisure activities at the beginning of the study compared to those that had developed ‘incident dementia.’ In addition to reading and the playing of board and card games, one of the intellectual activities was wagering on horse racing.

The study states that the findings suggest that “choosing the right kind of activity appears to be more important than engaging in various non-intellectual activities in preventing dementia.”